maxx | Blockchain Hub

What is the maxx | Blockchain Hub?

There is a need for reliable and affordable electricity in Zimbabwe. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can provide this electricity but the inital investment often exceeds financial capability of households, companies and institutions. Schools and hospitals benefit a lot from PV systems but can rarely afford them. At the same time, many investors, social investors and charity donors are willing to finance projects. The problem is, how do they get involved? And how can they trust each other? The maxx | Blockchain Hub brings investors and clients together and provides a safe environment for everyone.

What it does
The maxx | Blockchain Hub links people with money and people who want a PV system. It provides a legal, administrative and organisational framework. The following tasks are carried out through the maxx | Blockchain Hub:

Acquisition of capital and projects

Organisation and monitoring of installation

Contracting with the clients

Collection of monthly rent for the PV system

Monitoring, maintenance and repairs of the system

Bookkeeping and administration

Return on investment to investors

Establishment of a fund for maintenance and funding of more installations

maxx | Blockchain Hub as link between project parties

In other words, the maxx | Blockchain Hub is a platform on which PV projects can be realised. Investors, clients and installers benefit from the simplicity: They can use the platform as a service and let the maxx | Blockchain Hub take over a lot of the usual management. Additionally, everybody benefits from the advantages blockchain technology offers: security, trustworthyness, transparency.

How it works for investors
The PV system is connected to a smart meter that records the electricity production and documents it in the blockchain protocol. The current electricity production is uploaded to the blockchain. Investors or donors of the project can see the production and have a proof that the system is operating. Furthermore, every contributor can see how much he/she provided of the total PV system, e.g. how many kW of the overall system power was installed with the particular donation and also how many kWh of electricity have they produced.

For the first project which we realised through the maxx | Blockchain Hub we created a charity campaign. Every donor will be able to monitor the impact of his/her donation which makes the charity project very trustworthy.

You can see the charity campaign here: https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/58180

In the first project of the maxx | Blockchain Hub the client is Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe. Besides the fact that the hospital will have a PV system and with it reliable and cost-effective electricity, the maxx | Blockchain Hub also offers advantages for the client.

Processes on and around the maxx | Blockchain Hub

The client, in our case Karanda Mission Hospital, has an electricity account. Just as mobile phone credit on a prepaid phone, the hospital has electricity "credit". Depending on the plan, the credit can be a monthly flatrate or per kWh of electricity used. The account balance is saved on the blockchain. Additional functions which can be added in the future are automatic cell phone notifications or the possibility to externally add money onto the hospital's balance (e.g. from supporters in the diaspora).

How it lasts

One of the tasks the maxx | Blockchain Hub takes over is making the concept sustainable. maxx considers maintenance and repair costs for the PV system in the financial planning. From all incoming payments a share is saved and put aside for operation and maintenance costs. At the beginning these saving are small but the more projects are being realised the more money can be saved and a revolving fund can be established. The fund then can cover maintenance costs but also investments for more projects. Our goal is to equip all of Zimbabwe's schools and hospitals with solar PV systems, and then continue in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho,....!

The more projects we realise, the bigger the fund and the more projects can be financed.

Or visit the website of the DGS Thuringia, the German NGO which supports the project. The website is in German: http://www.dgs-thueringen.de/projekte/aktuelle-projekte/maxx-blockchain-hub/

The dena RES Project Zimbabwe is part of the worldwide dena Renewable Energy Solutions Programme coordinated by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) - the German Energy Agency - and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) within the German Energy Solutions Initiative.